May 12, 2012

Half Baked Half Marathon

If you have talked to me in the past couple of months, I have mentioned that I will be running a half marathon but when I went to sign up for my first choice (because anyone who knows me knows I won't run for just anything, it is all about the party), it had sold out. I entered the second chance drawing but unfortunately didn't make that one either. So I adopted a plan B which included traveling to Oregon. Same party, different venue but that race was ages off. Not until Labor Day. That is at least 9 months away, and then it was seven and six and now 4 and while I monitored the site to make sure it wasn't selling out, I also didn't sign up for it. Without this race a reality on the horizon, I let my training slack off, in a good week I might get out once or twice for a jog but most weeks if it wasn't for paying trainers twice a week, I might have nothing to show for the week. Then 8 weeks before the race I had been rejected from sends an email that with purchase of the dinner the night before and a contribution to Special Olympics, I could have one of 100 spots saved for charity. Well, I jumped on it. And then realized, this was a half marathon, and it was happening in 8 weeks. Had I run in the past month?

I have always said that if I am going to race, I am going to run even if I could walk faster...but then I had 13.1 miles staring me in the face with only 56 days to train -- oh wait, can't train on race day so 55...I searched around on line and looked for a run walk training program. SInce Jeff Galloway is the featured speaker at the dinner maybe it is only appropriate. Well, when you are a beginner they definitely think you should take more than 8 weeks to train. So I chose a 14 week plan and started on week 7. I have been plugging along and getting in two short runs and an endurance run most every week (easier on vacation than once work started back) and today I ran my longest run before the race which will happen in 3 weeks. 10.62 miles just about killed me but I could have used a little more water and maybe figure out fueling for long runs. I am trying to stay positive about adding another 3 miles on race day -- the next two and a half weeks will be spent adding one more minute to the run intervals for a goal of running 5/walking 1 intervals for race day. For me, the mental race is always the hardest but this one may have a physical challenge as well. I will finish...and then on to running the half in Oregon.